


Soldier coming home

by SSAerial



Series: Bleach X Avengers [3]
Category: Bleach, Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: "don't like bullies", Alternate Universe, Bucky the mother hen, Captain America: The First Avenger, Commandos laughing their asses off, Dimension Travel, Gen, Ichigo doesn't give a fuck anymore, Steve Rogers is a piece of shit, dear god theres two of them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 09:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6748117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSAerial/pseuds/SSAerial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>“Hey you!</em> Yeah, I’m talking to you, you <em>piece of shit!”</em></p><p>Steve faltered in his steps and couldn’t help but glance back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soldier coming home

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been boggling in my noggin for a while so I put it to work. I have no clue if I characterized anyone right and just hope I'm doing everyone justice. Also, this is just a possible AU if Ichigo hadn't been dropped off at modern times to meet Bruce in Foreign Recruit, but to the 1940's instead. So, it's like an AU in an AU. This is a oneshot, no way I'm continuing this.

Colonel Williams wasn’t such a bad guy.

That was the conclusion Steve came up with when he rolled into the new camp the Commandos have been ordered to stay at before their next move. Colonel Williams, who was in charge of the small group of soldiers in place, had greeted them at the entrance and had allowed them to unpack their bags before taking a look around.

Steve had finished early, something that Bucky had bitched about when it came to his super soldier stamina and speed. Steve simply snarked back that Bucky was just too lazy to clean up his own messes, which got him a knock on the head from his irritated best friend. He escaped the hooting tent before they could get into another scuffle that’ll ruin the notion that the renowned Howling Commandos were the perfect team instead of a bunch of crazy idiots who were just too stubborn to die.

Williams was waiting for him outside, a bit nervous at meeting Captain America but still remaining cool headed enough to walk him around and talk about HYDRA’s movements being too active for both of their liking these days. It was relieving to meet someone who didn’t follow his heels and actually look him in the eye when talking to him, even if Steve was at least a foot taller.

Their conversation was just dwindling down when a booming voice abruptly cut through the air like a sonic wave.

 _“Hey you!_ Yeah, I’m talking to you, you _piece of shit!”_

Steve faltered in his steps and couldn’t help but glance back. The voice sounded young, ridiculously young like someone barely out of his teen years, yet there was an undercurrent of steel in his barking voice, demanding attention like a leader, a commander-

Steve turned and _stared._ And for the life of him, he couldn’t look away.

The yelling man _-kid, good god_ , was glaring daggers at one of the laughing soldiers. Flaming, unruly orange hair that was practically a beacon for unwanted interest blazed under the sunlight, a splotch of color in a painting it had no right to be in.

It was the narrowed, burning brown gaze that was more eye-catching than his hair that fixated Steve’s attention. His angular face and slanting eyes made his ethnicity apparent for outsiders. Steve recognized the Asian descent from the kid, and marveled how straight the young man’s back was, how utterly unaffected he seemed from the disdainful looks he was receiving for his bellowing and race.

The soldiers stuttered in their laughing and looked to the kid. The utter disdain and disgust that painted their faces made Steve’s hackles rise. The soldiers were barely a few years older than the kid, yet, Steve noticed with some surprise, the kid’s rank was above them. Steve noticed belatedly with a practiced, artist eye the stripes and buttons on the kid’s shoulders, marking him as a lieutenant.

“Ya talkin to me?” the biggest of the soldiers growled, slamming his bowl of broth to the ground, sloshing the food everywhere. Steve felt his temper flare at the careless action. If there was anything the Depression taught him, was that food was precious and should never be wasted.

The lieutenant scowled and crossed his arms, chin jutting fearlessly and barely managing not to encompass complete arrogance.

“You deaf?” the kid growled, vowels lilting a bit with a barely present accent. “You had cleaning duty today you fucking bastard. Shoving your responsibilities on the rookie and sitting your pretty ass around these idiots is pretty fucking _unfair_ , don’t you think?”

The man’s face flushed red along with his friends and they practically leaped to their feet, their bodies tensing in obvious preparation to knock the kid’s head in.

Without thinking, Steve took a step forward. Five against one were never fair odds and he never liked things not on equal footing. A hand on the shoulder stopped him and he turned to see Colonel Williams shake his head, a small smirk tugging at the end of the man’s mouth.

“Relax Captain. The kid isn’t the one who’s going to need any rescuing.” He said with wry humor.

He was right.

In ten seconds flat, in a whirl of action that left Steve’s head spinning, five men were hitting the ground groaning with a sneering kid standing above them with a foot planted on one of the soldier’s chests. He didn’t even look winded.

Right at that moment, the kid’s head jerked up and saw them. There was a flash of recognition in his eyes when he saw Steve but other than that, he dismissed him easily and slid his attention to the other commanding officer without a sparing thought.

“I’m going to put these fuckers to work.” He said flatly. It sounded more like he was stating his intentions than asking for permission. Williams nodded at him and the kid grunted in acknowledgement at the accession. Without a hint of hesitation, the kid barked at some of the soldiers from the side to carry the soldiers to the barracks where they’ll be finishing up the chores. When asked about their wounds, the kid scowled even harder and simply said, “I only broke their mugs and egos, not their fucking bones. They’ll be fine.” And that was that.

Steve looked to Williams after the hellofa kid stalked off.

“Who was that?” Steve blurted out. Williams grinned around his dying cigarette.

“That, Captain, was Lieutenant Ichigo Kurosaki.” He said with some pride. Steve blinked with some surprise.

“No American name?” he asked. Williams shrugged.

“He’s from Japan, not America. Didn’t have a lick of papers on him when he enlisted. Just showed up out of nowhere and said he wanted to join the army.” The man shook his head with lingering disbelief. “From what the rumors say, he sat in front of the recruitment center and refused to budge. Didn’t even back off when a couple of guards pulled out the guns on him. He simply beat the crap out of them too. It was like a goddamn western standoff. Nobody could get close enough to arrest or shoot him. Didn’t believe the story until I actually got to meet the guy when he transferred here a month back. Now I do. He’s the most bullheaded son of a bitch I’ve ever met. Doesn’t take shit from anyone, above or below.”

“Then what happened?” Steve asked, fascinated despite himself. It sounded so unbelievable that he couldn’t help be incredibly curious.

“Phillips.” Steve’s eyebrows shot to the hairline at the name. The man chuckled at his incredulous reaction. “He came up to check out what the fuss was about. He took one look at the kid and let the kid go on a test run. Passed everybody’s expectations with flying colors. Got promoted a bunch of times and earned himself a reputation.” The man chuckled. “It’s like a goddamn propaganda story coming to life.”

“Oh really?” Steve said somewhat dryly. The Colonel flushed once he realized who he was talking to.

“Ah, well, in comparison to us not super men, though I do wonder sometimes.” He muttered at the last part, probably without meaning for the Captain to hear.

“So he’s good at his job?” Steve couldn’t help but ask. It was only for a short moment, but that sign of cockiness in someone so young and in power was a bit worrying. Not that he knew anything about the kid’s character but still. He didn’t know if he could work with someone potentially overconfident and not able to listen to orders.

The Colonel blew out a gust of smoke that sounded more like a sigh. “Oh the best. Otherwise, there’s no way in hell the higher ups would’ve promoted him.” He must’ve caught Steve’s apprehensiveness, because a small reassuring grin took over his features. “Ah, not because of the attitude, though he could be a pain in the ass sometimes, mind you. No, more because nobody has a clue who he was before. And considering the fact he’s a born and bred Jap in our waters isn’t really a reassuring thought. Other than that though,” the man’s eyes turned fierce, face steely and confident. “I’d trust him with my men, no doubt.”

Steve straightened at the words. As a leader, he knew that kind of faith was a hell lot more telling than trusting someone with their own life instead. It only made his interest grow for this foreign, mysterious man.

“Why?”

Williams smiled grimly.

“Because no matter what, Kurosaki would do anything to protect those under him, even if it means giving up his own life or doing all the dirty work to do it.”

There wasn’t anything Steve could say to argue against that.

When he told the Commandos the story about the enigmatic soldier later, baffled silence filled up the tent.

“He sounds like a piece of work.” Dugan commented jollily. “I like him already.”

That broke the ice and the others snorted while Jones shoving the big man’s shoulder roughly. Morita’s eyes were bright at the idea of another Japanese soldier in their midst. Falsworth was a bit more sceptic.

“There was nothing on him? Really?” he repeated a bit suspiciously. Steve shrugged.

“That’s what Williams says. Though he certainly seems to have earned Williams’s respect.” Steve stated in an inarguable tone, which left the man begrudgingly agreeing to the conclusion and he said no more. Bucky was looking at Steve with knowing eyes and a sly grin.

“You like the punk already.” Bucky assessed effortlessly. Steve hunched his shoulders and absolutely refused to scowl.

“A guy that tries so much to join is someone I could respect.” Steve replied defiantly. It earned a lot of snickers from the brunette, which had Steve pushing him off where he was sitting in retaliation. Bucky flailed and yelped as he fell to the floor, leaving the Commandos roaring with raucous laughter and chuckling.

For the next half an hour, Steve and Bucky started a scuffle anyway.

An impeccable, perfect team. _Right._

* * *

In the end, it wasn’t Steve who went out looking for the lieutenant. The lieutenant ended up finding him.

Two days since the Commandos settled into camp, the orange haired man strode toward Steve with purpose and intent like a prowling wolf on a hunt. It was a bit unsettling to see someone so young have such burning eyes that pinned him down and demanded attention like a seasoned leader.

“So you’re Captain America.” The kid candidly said, eyes narrowing speculatively. Steve simply quirked up a brow in response and crossed his arms.

“I am.” He responded calmly, expressing none of his surprise at the kid’s bombarding presence. A flicker of _something_ passed his startlingly brown eyes that looked like amber in the dying sunlight. It was an ethereal trait that had Steve itching for a coloring sketchbook just to get the hue right.

The Japanese stared at him almost assessing for a moment longer before finally asking, “Do you know Howard Stark?”

That... wasn’t what Steve expected.

He blinked, thrown off by the out of nowhere question.

“What?” he blurted out, bewildered. That only seemed to irritate the other man more if the deepening aggravation in his posture said anything.

“Stark. The bastard who can’t shut up for one minute even if his life depends on it. Do you know him?” the kid blustered out briskly.

“Uh,” Steve stumbled over his words, cool Captain persona knocked out of the wind. “Yes, yes I do. Why are you asking?”

Kurosaki grunted and without warning, roughly tugged Steve’s arm before slapping something crumpling onto the palm of his hand, literally forcing Steve’s fingers to wrap around what seemed to be a bunch of-

Steve blinked, brain stuttering and faltering like a squeaky, badly oiled wheel.

“This is money.” He stated stupidly. Befuddled blue eyes met the lieutenant’s clenched jaw. “Why are you handing me money?”

Kurosaki rolled his eyes so hard that it looked like the action was physically paining him.

“To give to Stark, obviously.” The young man bit out the name like a curse. It was a familiar tone and it grounded Steve back down to reality while the kid kept rolling. “He paid off all the damn hospital bills last time without asking, the fucker. So I need a damn messenger he can’t say no to. He practically worships the ground you walk on. Still, I can’t _fucking_ believe I have to resort to this, _fuck_.” He finished muttering at the end, an unhappy scowl warping his mouth.

All Steve could say at the end of that angry rant was, “You do realize he’s filthy rich, right?”

Kurosaki, if it was even possible, looked even more displeased.

“That’s not the _point.”_ Kurosaki nipped out. “I don’t want that bastard lording it over my head. Besides, I don’t like owing people anything if I could help it.”

Steve slowly nodded, understanding completely. He owed a lot of people, especially Bucky when he was a kid, for managing to keep him alive till this point with how often he had gotten sick. He never liked the idea of being a burden or a charity case for other people either. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

And yeah, he could totally picture Howard doing something like that.

“I’ll get it to him.” Steve promised resolutely, tucking the money into his breast pocket. Kurosaki curtly nodded, surprisingly seeming to trust his word immediately. Steve could already see Kurosaki beginning to turn his back and before he knew it, one of the many questions swirling in his head managed to get itself out. “What were you in the hospital for?”

The kid blinked before a grin enveloped his whole face. It was a sudden, unexpected thing, just like everything else about the soldier.

“Oh, it wasn’t for me.” He sounded completely unapologetic. And without a backward glance, he left Steve in the dust.

* * *

“So what’s with the uniform? You trying to get yourself killed in that paint sore getup?” Kurosaki asked incredibly casually as if discussing the weather. It’s been a few days since their first official meeting and despite the distinguishable orange hair, the kid easily made himself scarce. It was an impressive ability to be honest.

Back to his words, it wasn’t an insult the way the man said it, but a blithe observation that was under the thin veil of honestly asking if he was color blind. It made Steve snort from the damn brutality of it all. It’s been a long time since someone he didn’t know acted this disrespectful towards him.

“Look who’s talking.” He shot back, baby blue flickering pointedly at the young man’s hair. Kurosaki scowled with noticeable bite.

“Was born like this, and no, I don’t know why either. Stark still goes bananas every time he points it out so don’t you dare bring it up in front of him. Besides, if I was going to die because of my hair, I would’ve been dead years ago. I think I’ll live for another decade or so, depending on who I don’t piss off.”

At this, Steve burst out chortling. He didn’t expect the kid to have a funny bone from how he always seemed to be in a bad mood.

It earned him a slight crooked grin that again proved this assumption wrong and made the lieutenant’s harsh features look startlingly handsome. It reminded him a bit of Bucky when he’s at his most roguishly charming.

Once Steve was done stuffing down his amusement, he grinned down at the Japanese with a newfound sense of comradery. “Guess we have something in common.”

“What, you a little piece of shit too?”

Ever since the experiment, nobody has ever called him little. It seems he was experiencing a lot of firsts today.

Steve shrugged his huge, lumping shoulders. “According to my pal Bucky.”

“Ah.” Kurosaki nodded sagely, a knowing glint in his sharp honey-brown eyes. “The right that every best friend has when calling out your bullshit.”

It startled a laugh out of the blonde again, an increasingly common reaction when it came to Kurosaki. It had him teasing, “Is this experience talking?”

And just like that, all signs of humor shut down the Japanese’s features, face shuttering and distant as if remembering a painful memory. Steve flinched at the instant reaction, regretting his words viciously.

“Used to.” Kurosaki replied shortly and tightly, head looking away. “Not anymore.”

Steve had no answer for that. He wanted to, but looking at the desolate expression that didn’t fit the young man he was coming to know, he simply gave a useless, “Sorry.”

The young man waved it away without fanfare, no resentment or anger in his gaze.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” and those words were so telling. So quick of a temper, yet so quick to forgive. It was a rare kind of trait, and something that Steve wasn’t familiar with. Just look at the adrenaline-junkies he hung around, and Steve himself was the type who clenches onto grudges he has against the world. No matter how different he looked now, he was still the angry little shit who’ll always burn hot in the face of injustice. He’s just better at hiding it now behind his laughably impeccable reputation that people always assumed was the real deal.

Sometimes, Steve was tempted to pull a Peggy and say, “Fuck you” to the next person who presumed anything about him, though probably not as wittily and underhanded as the clever agent did. She was the type to throw an insult back and walk away leaving the other person feeling stupefied and stupid. It did things to him when she pulled it off.

Though, that’s probably not a tangent he wanted to follow right now.

Both soldiers who are so different in country and demeanor stayed silent and watchful as people passed them by. After a moment, in what Steve was quickly realizing was becoming a common theme between them, Kurosaki broke through the awkwardness first.

“She was my best friend.” He started first, lips twisting into a little smirk. “A demanding little pipsqueak who was always there to kick my ass into shape. She, she flipped my whole world over and I didn’t even think twice when it came to trusting her with everything I had.”

“What happened?” Steve said quietly, trying to imagine it. It was difficult. He couldn’t imagine anyone making the surly soldier do anything he didn’t want to. Kurosaki’s eyes became hooded, hands clenched to the sides.

“What do you _think_ happened? Life. Choices. There are days when I regret it and days that I don’t.”

“Was it joining the war?”

Kurosaki barked out a laugh that sounded ragged in the air, eyes heavy with something like irony.

“If you want to be technical, then yeah. Though knowing myself,” Kurosaki’s voice turned solemn here, voice steely with old resolution. “there was no way in hell I was ever not going to get myself involved. Not when everyone I cared about was fighting in it.”

Steve wanted to ask, badly. He felt like there was something off about the past tenses, something he was missing in the lack of real context.

But he didn’t. He didn’t know if the woman – or girl, it was getting harder to think of this too wary soul as someone even resembling youth – was dead or missing, but he knew he shouldn’t pry. It was amazing enough that Kurosaki had shared so much to a complete stranger like him. Steve liked to hope that him listening maybe helped the orange haired young man, just a little bit.

So he patted the kid- _man’s_ shoulder briefly in an act of comfort, and felt Kurosaki relax just a touch at the motion.

* * *

The day the Commandos officially met Lieutenant Kurosaki, was utter chaos. Well, situationally that is.

Meeting wise, it was heaven meeting hell and having a jolly good time at it.

They finally got moving after a week of transport and getting closer to the base. The whole team and a few others including Kurosaki charged at the hideout with all the reckless abandon of a Stark Expo gone wild.

Stark would probably take offense to the metaphor and claim his parties were way more fun.

Before going into danger though, Kurosaki had been quiet as a ghost with hawk eyes taking everything in along with his trademark scowl. Steve was already used to this and had carefully ignored the behavior in favor of trying to take note which entrance would be better at barging into. Everyone else, however, looked unnerved and curious in equal measures.

Well, except Dugan, bless him.

“So how old are you?” he asked with all the straightforwardness of a bullet in the face. He said it in such an inappropriate cheerful tone that it should be insulting. Instead, Kurosaki simply smirked, arrogance sparking in his ruthless eyes.

“Wouldn’t you like to know old man.” Kurosaki retorted and _oh_ , Steve held back the urge to smirk. Shots have been fired.

Bucky held no such reservation and gave a shit eating grin that declared war. Oh, it was _on_.

“Fuck you kid. If you think you’re so spry, then you better be able to keep up with us _old men_.”

“Sure asshole.” The kid wasn’t even pausing when answering back. The couple of other soldiers that had followed them were exchanging money in the background. They didn’t even look shocked at the mouthing off going on around them. Steve took this as a sign that Kurosaki really didn’t give a shit. And from the looks of the grins on the other Commandos’ faces, it was only endearing the Japanese to them more. Even Falsworth for all his wariness was looking more amused by the second.

The bickering continued as they made their way to base, and continued as they launched their attack.

Steve had a small glimpse of the young man’s capabilities from how speedily he handled the unruly soldiers, but seeing him fight now didn’t even come close to what he expected.

The smooth grace that had the Japanese narrowly escaping every shot and the controlled chaos of his every action made him practically untouchable. He was always charging into the line of fire and rapidly taking down men left and right, sometimes bringing out his guns and noticeably hitting them in non-vital areas. This killing machine who had the control to not kill anyone when in constant battle. His takedown record, however, was tying carefully with Steve’s and that was nothing to joke about.

None of the other noticed, it’s not like Steve ever told them his numbers, but Bucky did. The sharpshooter shot Kurosaki a contemplative, perplexed look but he didn’t confront him. At least, not in front of everyone else.

* * *

Bucky came to him later in the night after they got back to camp and searched through the base. His face was pensive and leftover disbelief hasn’t left his face yet.

“Jesus Steve, you sure know how to pick them.” Bucky shook his head, mouth quirking up into a small smile. “He’s like a mini-you, except _worse_. ‘I don’t like bullies.’” Bucky snorted. “What he’s doing, it’s going to get him killed one day.”

Steve thought of that indomitable will, that stubbornness and grimness turning into ash in death. Steve really, for the life of him, can’t picture it. Seeing the accented stress lines added around Bucky’s furrowed brows, Steve snorted and bumped his shoulder to his.

“He’ll be fine.” _We’ll be fine._

Bucky finally snapped out of his funk and managed to smile back.

“I guess. After all, he beat your record.”

“Oh shut _up_.”

It’s only after Bucky died a few years later did Steve start to doubt whether anyone can come back out of war alive and whole. After all, it was too late for him.

* * *

When the Commandos finally left to take down another base, Steve extended the invitation to Kurosaki.

The Japanese had scoffed and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Hell no.” Kurosaki’s roughness shined through in both his posture and voice. “I have my own men to take care of. I don’t have time for your shenanigans and heroics.”

“Says the man who refuses to kill.” Steve jabbed right back mildly. Kurosaki shook his head.

“Not the same.” He turned quiet a moment before talking again. “That’s not why I joined this war. And sometimes, people have to be alive to be able to redeem themselves.”

Steve stared at him and all the contradictions that he represented. He recognized the conviction in the young man’s voice. This was the talk of someone who spoke from experience, not naïve optimism for the human race. Hard brown eyes matched his and suddenly, he got what Bucky was talking about. It was like looking at a distorting mirror from the other side of another country.

“That could bite you back one day.” Was all Steve could say.

“I may leave them alive, but what they do afterwards is their choice.” Kurosaki said sharply. “I refuse to be their executioners, not without giving them a chance to prove that they could be better.”

Steve finally let himself grin, feeling lighter than he has in hell, years.

After all, bullies could grow up. They just need something to give them a reason to. And what could make a man regret all their life choices than dying and war?

That someone could believe this, especially from someone who went through even worse things than Steve, was...

“I’m glad there’s someone like you in the army, Kurosaki.” Steve said warmly. “It’s... _comforting_.”

“Call me Ichigo.” Kurosaki- _Ichigo_ responded back with a grumble. It only made Steve’s grin grow wider.

“Steve then. It’s a two way street.”

Ichigo sighed. He was smiling.

“It always is.”

They shook hands later and went on their separate ways, two soldiers whose agendas will never fit with anyone else’s. Like Steve said, it was a dangerous and comforting thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review on the way out, and I hope you enjoyed! Also, please check out my tumblr site: aerialflight.tumblr.com. Thank you, and have a nice day!


End file.
